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ADS L880 info?

R

Ronald_Nixon

New Member
Just picked up a pair of ADS L880s($100). The seem to be in ok shape. Haven’t really gave them a solid listen, plan on doing that tomorrow. Guy I bought them from didn’t really have the gear set up to do a good demo, but at least they work. One of the midrange domes was pushed in a bit(I was able to pull it out most of the way, still a tad dented). The midrange and the tweeters are kinda dirty, dust animal hair etc. I know a lot of y’all out there are ADS folk, and I just wanted to get some opinions. Should I try and replace the midrange dome? I will give more notes on the speakers along with pictures of them once I get into a few hours of listening tomorrow. As it stands I’m off to work. Any input, opinions, or advice would be welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks y’all!
 
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Hi Ronald! Welcome to AK! Nice score on those ADS's! You did good fella. Regarding the tweeters and Mids, its commonly remarked that the dent or the dust/hair on the tweeters and midranges should not make any difference sonically, however. There is a guy named Richard So who lives in arizona who can fix those up For you. Note: he no longer has any stock left of the silk domes, but can remove yours, clean and restore them for you. I've seen some fo those restored silk domes of his and they look really good. Darn near brand new.

Make another post here later on when you listen to them and let us know your thoughts. Loads of ADS fans here at AK.

Garry
 
Ok, about to hook these guys up and listen to them for the rest of the evening. Here are some photos of how they look now.
 

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Those look to be in pretty darn good shape Ronald! Again, nice score on them. By now you should be enjoying their very nice sound. As I mentioned above, although the mids don't look great, the extraneous materials embedded in the Sticky Dome should not affect their sonic quality's. If you wanted to, you could send the mids and tweeters into Richard so and he'll clean them up for you brand new. If your not familiar with ADS Tweeters and Midranges, ADS (subsequently Richard So) who by the way also worked for ADS many years ago before they closed, uses a sticky substance on the dome. This is normal and is as I say, designed that way. So make no attempt to clean the domes off with any chemicals. The minor dents in the domes also should not affect their sonic quality's. Repairs would be with your regard to wanting to restore their visual appearance to factory standards.

So, after listening .... what are your thoughts. If something doesn't sound right, You can use the paper core from the inside of a roll of paper towel, or toilet paper core, and place them in front of the tweeters and midranges with the other end up against your ear, to make sure you can hear the tweeters and midranges are working. This of course without touching the dome with the end of the paper core.

Garry~
 
They sound nice. I like em a lot. Use the paper towel roll to double check, and it appears as though everything is working just fine. I’m happy with them. Still on the hunt for some 810s in my area if I can find them, but these guys sound super nice. I already emailed Richard. He is on vacation until July. Which gives me the time to do the research on how to remove the mids and tweeters so I can ship them to him. I don’t know how to do that kind of thing, and I would not want to damage them. Also gives me plenty of time to listen to them a bunch and decide if it’s even necessary. I picked up a Sansui 9090db that just got finished being refurbished. Picking it up on Friday. Super stoked to plug these into that guy. I have them running through a newer HK stereo and they sound just fine, so I can’t wait to run them with something much nicer. I also picked up a pair of ADS L470s about a month ago that, while much smaller, still sound really darn good. Thinking about replacing my paradigms (some entry level towers, monitor se 3000 f I believe) in one of my systems with those small guys. Running them with the HK, and running the l880s with the Sansui. Anyhow I’m sold on ADS line of speakers. Looking forward to listening to them late into the night!
 
Many of us use an oversized screw after removing the screws to tweeters and midranges, then screw the oversized screw into the holes, and with patient lifting the tweeters and Mids will come loose. Just don't use anything to pry the speakers loose. Patients is the key. Yes, Richard did take a long vacation, so it's gonna be a wait, but it will be worth it once you get them back. Have a marker handy too when you pull the mids/tweets. Mark on the back which colored wire goes to each terminal. Sounds like you have the equipment to run those ADS's to their glory. They are not power hungry, but they do like a little power behind them. Also helps to get them off the floor, eventually if you can find some stands to put them on would be a nice addition. Not sure what area you live in, but if you sign up on Facebook there is an ADS group that often will bring attention to and ads speakers they find for sale somewhere. Look every where, Facebook, Offerup, CL. Daily. Early Bird catches the worm.
 
Ronald_Nixon said:
I can not figure out how to make a new post on here, how the heck do you do it??
Click to expand...

At the home page, select the Forum you wish to post a new thread ... in this case let's say its General Audio Discussions. Click on the thread and look for the Post New thread button top right corner.

Garry.
 
Another method of tweeter/mid dome removal is to stick the sharp end of a small L-pick (the little orange ones from Harbor Freight and cheap and effective) through the hole in the driver and up under the flange and pry up with a demo bar/rubber tool (hammer, screw driver, something of the right size covered with rubber) lever/fulcrum arrangement. It gouges the wood a little BENEATH the driver plates, but hopefully, you're protecting your exposed baffle with the rubber covered fulcrum.


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Looks like you are all set, you have one of the most respected models in the line up of great speakers.
My set has left impressions on everyone who has heard them. They are not ADS's largest speakers by a long shot, but they are one of their finest, most balanced and refined for sure.
 
Ronald_Nixon said:
Still on the hunt for some 810s in my area if I can find them, but these guys sound super nice.
Click to expand...
To my ear, the 810's wouldn't be an upgrade to your 880's. Although I've never A/B'd them in the same room, I swear on a stack of pancakes that, in a non-A/B setting, the 880's bested the 810's in the lower end department much as my 780's out-bassed the 710s in the vaunted Porkloin listening room.
Unfortunately, an upgrade would be something a little more painful than the $100 you shelled out, plus the $400 you'll shell out to Richard So to refresh the drivers, plus the value of the time you'll spend replacing the electrolytic cap(s) in the crossovers and cleaning up the woodwork on the 880's. I don't know if the 1230s would be an audio quality and size upgrade, which means that the 910s or 980s or 1530s would be the (ka-ching) next step up.
 
hoodie said:
Porkloin, lytics or MKPs in the crossovers?
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On most ADS speakers, the only electrolytic in the circuit was the high value one that parallels the woofer. Everything else was box film caps that normally don't need replacing as they're pretty durable. My L780 /2 had a pair of low leakage (not sure how critical that is) electrolytics in the bandpass leg of the crossover, but I've never seen that in anything else. I actually A/B'd electrolytics and polycaps at that position, and although it wasn't earthshaking, I had a preference for the polycaps. I put a new electrolytic in the woofer leg of the crossover. Low frequencies don't benefit from polycaps, so it would've been a waste of money.
I'm an old gummer. The durability of electrolytics will be an issue for my heirs.
 
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